


we were here

by mostlikelydefinentlymad



Series: PROMPT FILLS [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, One Shot, Prompt Fill, Reminiscing, to be immortal is to feel the sting of loss, vampire mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 10:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9892421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlikelydefinentlymad/pseuds/mostlikelydefinentlymad
Summary: A puff of powder blue appeared in the air and cleared to reveal a moment, playing out like a silent movie. Luke's arms were on a wide folding table as he defeatedly dropped his hand of cards in the center. Across from him, Raphael wore a midnight black suit, navy shirt under.In the present, Simon whistled in appreciation because Wow, just wow. Magnus blinked begrudgingly and he shut right up.In the video Raphael smirked, scraping up Luke's cards and his winnings. Simon nearly reached for it as it disappeared, chest aching in remembrance.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatbloodyines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatbloodyines/gifts).



> PROMPT:  
> 179 years after the episodes take place, Simon and Raphael reminiscence of the past, the friends they lost, the families and try to comfort Magnus, who still mourns Alec's loss.

* * *

_'Tis a fearful thing to love what death can touch_

_a thing for fools, this,_

_'Tis a human thing, love_

_a holy thing, to love what death has touched_

[[x](http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/725858-tis-a-fearful-thing-tis-a-fearful-thing-to-love)]

* * *

 

"Alexander made the best coffee," Magnus sniffled, dabbing his eyes with a tissue. It had been one hundred and seventy nine years to the day they laid Alexander "Alec" Gideon Lightwood to rest and the widowed husband he left behind had yet to come to terms with it. He'd had his Alexander cremated and the shimmering black urn had traveled with them faithfully, never once getting lost along the way. When Alec passed, a light in Magnus seemed to flicker and dim. The flippant warlock with a one liner on the ready and a martini in his hand had gradually evolved into a quieter more reserved man.

Simon made a face, cringing. "It was like drinking bitter poison, like...what's that one? Smells like almonds? Cyanide! Yes! And," he shuddered at the recollection. "-it looked like motor oil." At his side, Raphael shot him a hard glare. The three of them were gathered around Simon and Raphael's dark marbled kitchen table, drinks in hand. For Magnus, a strong tonic. For the two of them, Bloody Mary's heavy on the O negative.

"Mmm," Raphael murmured, agreeing with his mate. Loss tends to blanket everything in fondness, who is he to take that from his oldest friend? He and the shadowhunter had never been on good terms, even in the last week of his life but they'd tolerated one another for Magnus' sake. As for Simon, he'd grated on every last nerve Alec had but they'd bonded over a mutual love of shiny black leather jackets that cost more than a vintage Marvel comic. Not that he'd ever part with his beloved collection. Unfortunately for Raphael it was scattered throughout their loft in matching silver picture frames.

"I miss Clary," Simon confessed. She'd passed shortly after Alec and they'd buried her under a great weeping willow next to a score of loved ones. At her funeral Simon had stained the white of his suit red with tears as Magnus lit paper lanterns and released them one by one. In her final hours, a frail hand took Simon's and made him promise to ' _Play me one last song?_ ' at her wake. He'd faithfully obliged, choking back tears as the lyrics washed over him. Raphael had whispered a prayer and clutched Simon's hand through it.

"Oh _Biscuit_ ," Magnus sobbed. The nickname had stuck throughout the ages and nearly got Simon worked up again. "She hated my cats, even the stray Alec brought home. Marie, he called her. It was a terrible name," the warlock continued, a spark of the old Magnus returning.

\--

He made a dramatic motion with his hand, rallying forth an image from thin air. It was a freeze frame of Alec on the day he'd brought Marie home. The cat's fur was matted, her eyes covered in a cloudy haze - God she was hideous if not wicked. And sweet in her own passive aggressive _I bite because I like you sort of way_ much like her owners. In the image, Alec's face was lit up like a Christmas tree as he presented her like a gold star champion breed feline.

Simon couldn't bare to look at it. Magnus whisked it away, sniffling.

\--

" _Marie_ ," Simon began, emphasis on the name. "Sent Clary to the hospital, remember? Ten stitches above her right eye, still had that scar when she..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. Raphael stood, drawing his _amor_ into his arms. "She was an awful cat. _El diablo_ ," he soothed. The seriousness in which he insulted a long deceased cat made Simon laugh - somewhere between a broken sob and a lopsided grin.

Magnus narrowed his eyes. "She was a magnificent beast."

Raphael rolled his eyes, chuckling. " _Azul_ was irreplaceable," he countered.

At his side, Simon sighed happily. On a chilly day in October in the year 2019, Simon had woke to a sandpaper tongue licking his elbow. Alarmed, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin. His eyes immediately popped open to see a massively fat orange tabby taking up residence on Raphael's side of the bed. Somewhere in the waning afternoon hours he'd gravitated there in his sleep only, when he'd closed his eyes, there was a beautiful boy lying on his stomach next to him. Still in the dredges of sleep, he entertained the idea of Magnus having grown tired of Raphael's moaning about toast crumbs and transformed him into a feline. A second later a smooth voice alleviated his concern, completely wonderfully human as Raphael propped against the bedroom door. _"Her name is Azul. Don't complain."_   And that was that.

The younger vampire hummed softly, "Luke loved her." He turned to Raphael, tugging him down onto his lap. Magnus sipped at his tonic, affronted at the comparison of his flawless cat to their _Garfield_.

"I thought dogs and cats were supposed to be mortal enemies," Raphael teased. They all knew he was talking shit. He, the pack leader and company had buried the hatchet ages ago. The elder vampire and werewolf had forged a friendship on petty insults and poker. When he'd died, Raphael had nearly weeped. Simon would give anything to have their strange dynamic back.

"Darling, vampires practically _are_ cats yet you never missed a poker game," Magnus sassed, brow raised as he stirred his drink.

Raphael huffed, shifting forward in Simon's arms. It was hard to put on an air of indignation when he was wrapped up in his mate's arms but he gave it a swing anyway. "I take offense to that."

\--

A puff of powder blue appeared in the air and cleared to reveal a moment, playing out like a silent movie. Luke's arms were on a wide folding table as he defeatedly dropped his hand of cards in the center. Across from him, Raphael wore a midnight black suit, navy shirt under. In the present, Simon whistled in appreciation because _Wow, just wow._ Magnus begrudgingly blinked and he shut right up. In the video Raphael smirked, scraping up Luke's cards and his winnings. Simon nearly reached for it as it disappeared, chest aching in remembrance.

\--

"You're not always right," Raphael remarked. To a stranger he might've came off as indifferent, unaffected. To those who knew and loved him, they noticed how the planes of his face visibly slackened, softer. Simon tightened his arms around Raphael's waist and rested his head on a firm bicep.

Magnus beamed, popping an olive in his mouth. He reveled in having the last word and they weren't about to take that from him, not today. Speaking of the sacred day, he had something else in mind. "Up," he ordered, surprising the couple.

Simon shoved at Raphael who rose to his feet and scoffed. "Where we goin'," Simon questioned.

Raphael straightened his ~~Simon's borrowed~~  black v-neck and gray trousers. Automatically, his hand found his mate's and gripped it hard. Death was on everyone's mind, it seemed. They were immortal but there was always the sun to contend with.

Magnus stood, carefully placing his glass in the kitchen sink before whirling around. "To visit family."

* * *

  
Clary's stone was a slate gray, engraved was her name in full: _Clarissa "Clary" Adele Fairchild_  resting next to Jace's. His was a slick black stone adorned with the first rune he'd ever had on the front. To the right of it lay Luke's. It was an above ground affair with bold lettering and two hands joined together along the top - his and Jocelyn's respectively: united in death. Theirs were a matching pair.

Maryse's headstone was traditional with roses and classic lettering, placed next to her husband Robert's.

Then there was Isabelle's. It was as extravagant as the shadowhunter had been in life. Like Jace's it was a smooth midnight black. An intricately detailed serpent was engraved on one side, a rune on the other. In the middle rested a locket shape with a photograph of Isabelle as Simon remembered her when they'd first met. Young, vibrant and beautiful.

  
Each grave was spaced apart just far enough that they wouldn't overlap. Time had weathered them and Maryse's was in the process of a gradual slip backwards (they would need to have that fixed soon) but they were present.

\---

 _We're all here_ , Magnus thought.

\--- 

Delicately, as though it might shatter, he placed Alec's urn in the middle. Moonlight reflected off its shimmering surface, dancing along the edges.

"Alexander," he murmured, tone chipper in the way it had been before he'd lost the love of his life though it felt forced now. Truth be told, Magnus spoke to him daily. Sometimes it was ordinary matters such as Simon and Raphael keeping him awake at night with their nocturnal antics. Other times (always the daylight hours) he cradled the urn against his chest and allowed the tears to freely fall. Afterward he'd whisper his love, how much Alexander was missed.

Raphael reached across and took Magnus' hand in his own. The weight of it anchored him to the spot, solid and cool. In the elder vampire's other hand was Simon's -- the three of them linked.

Simon broke the silence. "So uh, it's good to see everyone. Even _you_ , Captain America," he laughed, nodding at Jace's stone. "You'd better be taking care of my best friend, wherever you are." In life, the two of them had teetered somewhere between _You're the world's biggest jerk_ and _I need some advice_. It was a good balance. His laughter hung heavily in the air.

In his free hand, Magnus smoothed silver nails over a stone he'd carried since the day Alexander gave it to him. _'To protect you,'_   he'd said in another lifetime. 

"Luke," Raphael began, clearing his throat. "Please tell my mamá not to worry. Tell her I am well and I love her, always." He paused, gathering himself. Magnus gently brushed his thumb over Raphael's knuckles, to soothe and comfort. "And keep your cards away from her. She's a good Catholic but she cheats."

Simon snorted. He'd never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Santiago but if she was anything like her eldest son, he would've loved her.

Magnus pursed his lips. "She swindled me out of three hundred dollars and a velvet waistcoat. It was," he tapped his chin, thinking. "1967. Mm, Springtime. She never admitted to it but she cheated. I know she did."

Raphael began to smile then, slowly like the sun peeking out from a gathering of gray storm clouds. The sight of it warmed Simon down to his very core. "Mateo taught her and spent the rest of his days regretting it."  When he was feeling particularly down, he would tell Simon stories of their childhood and the racket his brothers had gotten into in their younger days. They'd been a rowdy bunch but the Santiago household never once suffered from a lack of love. 

Magnus grinned. For a long while, they stood in silence with nothing more than the faint chirp of crickets to fill the void. The night air had a chill to it but it was comforting all the same.

* * *

  
Later Raphael and Simon lay awake through the daylight hours, exchanging sweet kisses and trading affectionate verbal jabs. If they overheard words softly spoken in the next room over, they said nothing of it.

  
Magnus tucked the urn next to him on the sofa and stretched out, arm thrown over it protectively. "Maria was _not_ the devil. She had excellent taste in people. You'll recall the first time she met your mother?" He laughed, the vibration jarring the urn just slightly. "She was convinced she'd need a tetanus shot over a tiny scratch. Oh Maryse, ever the dramatic. Like you, my love."

For hours he talked until his throat was nearly hoarse. When the sun at last dipped in the sky, he pressed a kiss to the urn and retreated to bed. "Goodnight my Alexander," he whispered.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this is okay, I didn't throw in mama santiago or simon's sister/mother as I wanted to focus on the small circle of people they ~all~ shared. it goes without saying that losing siblings and a parental figure are a heavy burden to live with and they do miss and think of them often.
> 
> (yes the three of them live together)


End file.
